They Taste Better
by The-Quiet-One.1696
Summary: A collection of short Swanfire fics. Some of the ratings vary.
1. They Taste Better

"Why do you always eat the red ones?" Emma cried grabbing the bag of M&Ms away from Neal. They sat in their little yellow bug just around the block from the store they had shoplifted from.

"They taste better." Neal stated grabbing the bag back and rifling through it for more red ones. Emma gave him her best BS look.

"They all taste the same genius." Emma muttered, throwing a handful of the multicolored chocolate candies in her mouth.

"Nope," Neal shook his head, "The red ones taste better...it's just the way it works." He ate 2 more of the little red candies smiling as Emma gave him another glare.

"Do you do this just to annoy me?" She asked, pushing her big black glasses a little higher up on her nose and grabbing a water bottle.

"As cute as you are when you're mad," Neal grinned, watching Emma open her mouth to retaliate, "No, I don't...the red ones really do taste better."

"Whatever floats your boat, I think you're just plain crazy." Emma said, holding her hands up in surrender.

"I am crazy, crazy about you." Neal smirked before leaning across the seat to kiss Emma quickly on the mouth. "Real crazy about you."

Emma rolled her eyes, despite the grin on her face, "Just drive before those angry shop owners find us."

"Your wish is my command," Neal teased as he started the little car. "Where to?" He turned to Emma expectantly and suddenly his heart clenched, he loved her so much. She was so beautiful, so unsure of herself but so smart and sweet. He hated that they had to run everywhere, that they couldn't settle down. They would find a place to call home, he'd make sure of it. She deserved that much.

"Anywhere, just drive." Emma grinned at him before entwining her fingers with his and leaning over to give him one more quick kiss. Her nose on his she whispered. "There's one more red one left...you want it?"

"MOM!" Henry's voice pierced through her memory, it took Emma a minute to figure out where she was, before Henry's big brown eyes brought her solidly back to earth.

"What, Henry?" She asked leaning over the table, giving him her full attention. He held out a small bowl of M&M's.

"David took me to the corner store, you want some?" He asked.

"Sure," Henry set the bowl down in front of her, Emma went to grab a handful only to notice something strange. "Hey kid...where are all the red ones?"

Henry turned around to look at her; an eerily familiar smirk on his face, he shrugged sheepishly. "I ate all of them...they taste better."


	2. Wake-up Call

"Emmmma...wake up. Housekeeping is coming in like...5 minutes." Neal's voice pulled Emma from her sleep. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to remember what town they were in. "Emma, I really hate to rush you but we've got to go." Neal sat in front of her on the bed, his hand on her knee his eyes puffy from sleep; clearly he'd just woken up as well.

"How long did I...we sleep?" Emma yawned grabbing her glasses from the bedside table and jamming them on her face.

"Um, way too long." Neal grinned and then motioned to the door. "Emma I'm serious we really need to go."

"But my shoes and-"

"It's already out in the bug." Neal grabbed her hands and hoisted her up off the bed. "I let you sleep as long as possible. Which I'll admit isn't THAT much longer but still...you did drive most of the night."

Emma rolled her eyes as she followed Neal barefooted to the door, "I didn't actually. You made me stop after two hours."

"Oh yeah. In my defense your driving is pretty crappy." Neal started to open the door and Emma opened her mouth to retaliate; just as the hotel door swung open from the outside. A thin old woman with a cart full of cleaning supplies eyed them with suspicion. "Oh I'm sorry, we forgot a few things." Neal said giving the lady a huge smile. Neal was charismatic and could win most people over with a smile and a few words -it's what made him such a good thief-. This lady, however, wasn't buying it.

"Is that so?" Her eyebrows were raised so high Emma almost wondered if they wouldn't be like cartoon eyebrows and hover above her face. The lady looked down at Emma's bare feet and shook her head. "Just get with the two of ya! I've got a room to clean."

"Right, sorry, we'll do that." Neal nodded and pushed past the woman grabbing Emma's hand as she ducked her head in acknowledgement at the old woman. The made it out to the little yellow bug before they burst out laughing.

"Is that so?" Neal mocked the woman's harsh high-pitched voice with near perfection. Emma doubled over and braced her hands on her knees as she laughed until tears began to stream down her face.

"Her face though!" Emma sputtered around the laughter. She mimicked the puckered mouth and raised her eyebrows as they would go, "I've got a room to clean." She ducked her head and giggled again. When she looked up Neal was staring at her intently, "What?"

"Your nose crinkles when you laugh...it's cute." Neal said, he reached out and touched Emma's face. "You've also got a pretty serious case of bed head...which is probably why that lady didn't buy it."

"Well why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Emma cried, looking into the driver's side mirror. Her blonde hair was snarled and sticking up every which way...it looked like she'd taken a birds nest and used it to get a hair transplant. She stood up straight again and raised one eyebrow. "Yeah. No, wonder she didn't buy it, I look like a homeless person."

Neal chuckled and kissed her on the tip of her nose. Then he grabbed her hand and walked around to the passenger side of the bug and opened the door for her. He made his way back to the driver's side and climbed in, turning the key in the ignition the little car roared to life. Emma reached for Neal's hand and laced her fingers with his.

"Emma," She turned to look at him, his eyes were earnest and his grip tightened on her hand. "We might not have a place..you know to call home. But, you and I...we've got each other...and we'll never be homeless when we're together. Home is where the heart is right?"

"You do know how ridiculously sappy that sounded right?"

Neal laughed and kissed Emma's hand, "Yeah...it sounded better in my head. But it is true...so long as we've got each other."

Emma grinned and shook her head, she reached for a hair brush out of the glove box. "Well, even if we are "homeless" I don't have to look one."

Neal scoffed, "You didn't listen to anything I just said did you?"

Emma smirked, "I started tuning you out after you went back into your sappiness."

"I can't believe I'm in love with you."

"Ah, but you are...and there is nothing you can do about it." Emma leaned over and kissed Neal on the cheek. "Now drive, I don't want to see that crazy cleaning lady again."

Neal laughed and threw the car in gear, as they rolled away from the little motel Emma couldn't but feeling completely at home despite her lack of one. She had Neal...and while as sappy as he had sounded he was right, they had each other; and that was all they needed


	3. To Keep the Nightmares Out

Neal propped himself up on his arm, he was gazing at the sleeping blonde next to him. Her hair was tangled ten ways to Sunday and she was actually drooling a bit. But she was beautiful and he didn't really deserve her. Neal glanced back, on the headboard of the bed their little yellow dream catcher hung innocuously. Neal wondered if it was actually working and keeping the nightmares away. Emma's nose twitched a bit in her sleep. He did his best not to chuckle, she was sleeping so soundly. It was the first time they had slept in a hotel room in a long time and they were both enjoying the fact that they could stay the whole night and wouldn't have to leave after only a few hours.

Neal lay back down beside Emma, draping his arm over her waist and gazing at her as sleep tugged at him. As tired as he was, he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to make sure that nothing woke her, that all the nightmares stayed away. But soon he was no longer able to keep his eyes open; and he drifted off to sleep, the words of Aerosmith's "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" playing in his mind.

* * *

"Well, you must have been tired," Emma murmured as Neal's eyes fluttered open a few times.

"Hmmmm, what time is it?" He asked groggily -definitely feeling the effects of his late night vigil-. He put a hand over his eyes and tried to return to dreamland where he'd been having a rather nice dream about he and Emma.

"7:15 AM," Emma murmured reading the clock on the nightstand beside the bed. She was propped up on both elbows, staring at Neal.

"Emmmma, we've still got like 2 or 3 hours of sleep." Neal moaned, the hand falling off of his face. "Go back to sleep!" He heard Emma's giggle.

"I don't want to sleep." Emma's voice was low, she pecked Neal on the mouth and grinned wickedly.

"Well, I do." Neal's voice was drained, he hadn't been sleeping well and the chances when he actually got to sleep were few and far between.

"You're no fun." Emma mumbled, flicking him lightly on the arm. "But," she breathed lowering one of her arms and running light fingers across the skin of his arm. "I understand, I'll just...be awake all lonely." She kissed him again, this time he seemed to get the message.

He sat up and tangled a hand in her hair, pressing a hard kiss to her mouth he growled, "Oh fine." He could feel Emma's smile against his mouth, he pulled away slightly.

"Yay."

* * *

Emma fell exhausted beside Neal. "Can we sleep now?" He asked, turning to grin at her.

"I think I might be able to allow it now." She agreed, breathing heavily, she turned on her side and smiled at Neal. "If we miss breakfast we get like...2 extra hours."

"Who needs food anyways?" Neal muttered, his eyes were getting heavy again and he was having a hard time talking to Emma.

"Certainly not us," Emma yawned, "Maybe, some hash browns to go or something..."

"Yeah...that sounds good." Neal was fading fast. He was vaguely aware of Emma re-hanging the dream catcher on the headboard.

"To keep the nightmares out." Emma mumbled, before she fell exhausted next to Neal. He smiled at her and she grinned at him. "Should we see who falls asleep first?" She teased.

"Hmmm?"

"Never mind, good night." Emma murmured kissing him lightly on the forehead. "See you soon."


	4. I'm Always Right

"Ahhhh! Why do these things never work?!" Neal chuckled as he heard Emma's frustrated cry from the small hotel bathroom. He got up off the small twin size bed and ducked his head into the room.

"Everything okay there?" He asked, the sight that greeted his eyes answered for him. Emma stood there in her tank top, absolutely drenched. Her hair was hanging limp and dripping and a few beads of water slipped off the end of her nose.

"See for yourself." Emma grumbled, gesturing a hand and flinging water at him in the process. She stomped angrily across the floor her wet feet making strangely loud sounds as she made her way towards him. Grasping his hand she led him over to the shower. "This, thing!" She growled at it.

"What about it?" He asked, trying keep a straight face. He almost lost it when Emma looked down at her bare legs that still had water dripping off of them and the damp shirt clinging to her thin torso, before looking back up at him in shock.

"Well, besides the fact that it practically erupted with a glacial stream and drenched me, nothing is wrong with it." Emma's words dripped with sarcasm and so did her body langauge.

"Soo it's the same as all the other showers you've dealt with." Neal teased, Emma's eyes flared and she looked around for something to chuck at him -the sopping wet hotel towel the only thing she could find-. "Ouch!"

"Serves you right." Emma muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes fell to his chest where a large wet spot was now visible from the towel. She put a hand to her mouth to keep from smiling.

"You know, I think you got wet enough attempting to figure out how to work the shower that you don't have to take one now." Neal tilted his head and looked at her, Emma raised her eyebrows at him and put her hands to her hips.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. In fact I think you should change out of that...thing you're wearing and put on something dry and we can go eat some of that stuff we bou-stole from the store." Neal grinned and pointed over his shoulder to the door and gave Emma a big doe-eyed look. She rolled her eyes and turned around picking up the gross towel laying on the floor.

"FINE. Throw me a shirt would you, you big goof." She picked up the wet cloth and threw it into the shower. A few moments later she something soft hit the back of her head and fell to the floor, right into the puddle of water. "NEAL!" She yelled snatching the big baggy shirt from the damp spot on the floor before it absorbed the water. She heard his boyish laugh and couldn't help but chuckle, yanking the saturated tank off of her body she pulled on Neal's large black t-shirt. It smelled like him, warm and comforting. She padded out of the bathroom and laughed, Neal had set out all of their stolen treasures on the bed and sitting on the nightstand was a cheap bottle of champagne and two dixie cups.

"Come join me!" He grinned holding out his hand, she shook her head at him and stole a chocolate kiss from the bed. "Please of course." Neal added, she gave him a shove and crawled next to him.

"You know...this is almost perfect." She sighed, he kissed her on the nose.

"It'll be better when we're drunk."

"Neal!" She gasped, but she was silenced by his lips on hers. He caressed her cheek lightly with his large hands, pulling back slightly he smiled at her.

"This isn't almost perfect, it IS perfect; for this moment...nothing is wrong and everything feels right. And that's perfect enough for me." Then he kissed her again before opening the champagne and pouring some into each of the dixie cups, handing her one he gave her another grin.

"To perfection," Emma murmured holding out her glass.

"No. To us." Emma grinned and raised her glass a little higher.

"Hell, I'll drink to that." They both downed the liquid and Neal poured another. "I think you're right though...it'll be much more fun when we're drunk." Neal chuckled and kissed her again.

"I'm always right."


	5. This Is Going to be Fun

"Neal, this is getting to be ridiculous." Emma, murmured looking into Neal's eyes.

"Come on! Emma, it's not that bad! " Neal begged, staring intently at her. Emma raised her eyebrows and dared him to argue with her.

"It is!" She cried .

"No! Emma, it really isn't." Neal responded giving up in his puppy dog eyes and really going at it.

"Neal, you know I love you. But that shirt has GOT to go!" Emma gestured angrily at the tattered Pink Floyd shirt that Neal was clinging to. "It has who knows how many holes and it just looks...awful." She wrinkled her nose at the slight smell that it was also giving off. "You look like a bum when you wear it."

"But I like this shirt, Emma! We've been through a lot together." Neal brought the shirt close to his face and went to put it to his cheek before even he had to cringe at the smell.

"The shirt's been through a lot with you?!" Emma yelled. "What about me?" Now the shirt really had to go. Neal gave a forced laugh and tried to play off of his "slip" of the tongue.

"I thought you knew what we'd been through, this shirt just...are you really going to make me get rid of it?" He asked again, if she was REALLY serious about it maybe he could give it up. She raised her eyes and nodded at him.

"God, if it would make you feel better I'd let you give the thing a Viking burial." Emma muttered. She glanced at Neal and saw his happy face. "Neal! No! I-I was kidding!"

Neal raised his eyebrows and gave his best serious face, "It's either a Viking burial or the shirt stays."

Emma rolled her eyes, "FINE!"

"Viking burial it is!" Neal grinned, he started walking to the bug before turning around and staring at her. "Are you coming or what?"

"We're doing it now? Really? Is it that important?"

"Yes. Yes it is. Come on! We need to get stuff." Neal said, jogging back to her and grabbing her hand and practically dragging her back to the bug.

"Like what?"

"Matches, fire starter and a few other necessities." Neal rambled, the shirt under his arm as he held Emma's hand tightly.

"You're sure this is the only way I can get you to get rid of that thing?" Emma asked, desperation in her voice.

"Yes." Neal's eyes were dead serious and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, okay. Let's go get this thing ready for its Viking burial/funeral ." Emma sighed climbing into the passenger side and doing her seat-belt, she glanced out at Neal and watched him act like a five year old boy on a sugar rush.

"This is going to be fun!" He yelled, jumping up and down before climbing into the car. "Lots of fun!"


	6. Ice Cream and Leaves

"What does that cloud look like?" Emma asked pointing to a long wispy cloud that was drifting across the sky. Neal looked up at it and tilted his head before answering.

"A dagger." He wished he had taken it back the moment he'd said it, but it was too late for that.

"It doesn't look like any dagger I've ever seen." Emma muttered, she pointed to another one, "That one looks like ice cream."

"They all look like ice cream to you." Neal laughed as he shook his head. Emma giggled and rolled on her side, Neal looked down at her. Her face was bright and happy and the sun set her hair a glow, he kissed her on the nose.

"Yep! There's a reason for that!" She jumped up, holding her hands out to him she wiggled her fingers. "Come onn! Let's go find the ice cream stand!" He held out his hands to her and she yanked him up, then she was off like a shot. "I bet you can't catch me!" She hollered over her shoulder.

"Really, Emma?" He called, she looked back over her shoulder with a broad smile on her face. "You'd better run faster than that!" He cried, he took off running she was a good distance ahead of him but he had the advantage as he wasn't laughing as heavily as she was.

Just as he was about to wrap his arms around her waist she spun around and threw a handful of leaves in his face. "Hey! No fair!" He laughed.

"God, you're awful at this game!" She teased. She was a few yards away from him, he raised his hands in surrender before she stuck out her tongue and made another made dash away.

"Oh it's on!" Neal declared grabbing two fistfuls of leaves off the ground and chasing Emma. She ran away from him screaming with laughter, before he finally tackled her to the ground. He threw some of the leaves into her face before tangling the rest of them in her hair.

"Come on now! That's not cool!" Emma hiccuped from laughing, "Do you know how long it'll take to get these out?" She gave Neal a puppy dog look and was reward by another handful of leaves to the face, she giggled.

"Uh-huh. You think it's funny." Neal reached out and tickled her ribs, she was crying with laughter and trying to get away. They didn't care that they were in a public park and people were staring at them, they were just being themselves and having fun.

"St-stop! I can't-I can't breathe!" Emma was gasping for air as he continued to tickle her. Finally she managed to roll away from him and pelt him in the face with another handful of bright orange and yellow leaves. "That's going to leave marks!" She scolded, lifting up her shirt a little and looking at the little red marks from his fingers.

He sat on the ground looking up at her the sun in his eyes was making it almost impossible to look straight at her. As she was kind of "wrapped in sunlight", it sounded stupid but that was the best way to describe it. She had little bits of leaves sticking up out of her hair and a few stuck on her shirt, she looked hilarious...but beautiful at the same time.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, titling her head to look down at him, before he could respond she started laughing. Soon she was doubled over with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"What are YOU looking at?" He countered, getting a bit defensive.

"You've-" More laughter, "You've got a leaf sticking straight up on your head! It kind of looks like it's levitating. God, you look so stupid." Emma was basically dying, Neal cocked an eyebrow and waited for her to get it together.

"Would you care to come and remove the leaf that's causing such a fit?"

"Nope! I think it suits you." Neal reached a hand up and felt for the object, feeling it brush his fingers he pulled it from his hair and looked at it. The bright red and orange maple leaf was perfect specimen of fall colors, he put it in his coat pocket.

"Alright, Giggles, come here." Emma made her way over to him, he held out his hands and once again she pulled him up. "Let's go find some ice cream."

"Don't do it."

"Don't do what?" He asked looking at her in confusion.

"Don't smush your ice cream cone in my face like you always do." She shook her finger back and forth and raised her eyebrows.

"Why my dear, Emma! I wouldn't dream of it!" He smirked leaning down to kiss her on the nose, before slowly making his way to her mouth. She melted in to him and once again it didn't matter that they were in public. They looked like fools, covered in little bits of leaves, dirt on their jeans and grass in their hair. To them it was just the two of them, all by themselves not a care in the world. Neal pulled away and smiled at Emma, she gave him a shy grin. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they made their way in the direction of the ice cream shop they'd passed on their way to the park.

"But you know..."

"Know what?"

"Smashing my ice cream in your face would be a good way to get you back for humiliating me in the park." He teased and she looked up at him with utter shock in her eyes.

"Me?! Humiliate you? Never!" Her tone dripped sarcasm.

"See! Right there! That's what I'm talking about!" She dissolved into giggles again and he kissed the top of her head. This was perfect...this is how he wanted to live the rest of his life; like no one else in the world mattered...like it was just the two of them. This was his home...Emma was his home, always.


	7. You Are My Sunshine

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...you make me happy when skies are grey." Emma woke slowly to the sun streaming in through the hotel window. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the bright light and looked around for Neal. He stood a few paces away looking out at the sky singing under his breath.

"You're off key." She murmured as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up. Neal turned around with a big smile on his face, his hair was messy and his shirt was rumpled. But with sun pouring in through the window, Emma had to admit he looked pretty adorable.

"You're one to talk, after the way you were belting out tunes in the bug." He teased coming to sit next to her on the bed. He pushed some blonde strands from her eyes and gave her a wink. "Compared to that, I sing like a freaking angel." Emma laughed and slapped his hand away, he merely chuckled and collapsed back on the bed.

"Where'd you hear that song anyway?" Emma asked, smoothing the hair off his forehead and glancing at the dream catcher on the headboard.

"I don't know. I think, it was in some park...there was this um, dad with his daughter and she was crying." Neal's voice had become a little scratchy as if the song's story had struck a chord deep down in him, he cleared his throat. "And the dad swept her up in his arms and started singing it. She just...smiled and started giggling and then she started singing with him."

Emma looked down into Neal's face, tears looked like they were threatening to escape from the corners of his eyes. She'd never really seen him look that way, as if he was missing something or someone. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "The song just stuck with me I guess, the idea that someone can make you happy enough to drive the darkness away. It's a nice thing to believe in."

"It is, but the rest of the song isn't like that." She pushed a few more stray strands of hair out of her eyes and looked down at Neal's face. He quirked an eyebrow and turned on his side.

"I've only heard the happy part...how does the rest of it sound?" Emma shook her head, she really didn't want to sing, Neal gave her a puppy dog face.

"Okay! I'll sing the next couple verses...but I can't promise it'll be any good." She took a deep breath and gave Neal a small smile, he was sitting up now and looking at her intently. "Here goes. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

"That's what I was just-"

"Shhh!" Emma glared at him and started singing again, "The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping. I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. And I hung my head and cried." She stopped singing and looked at him. "Then it goes back to the chorus and then; I'll always love you and make you happy, if you will only say the same. But if you leave me, to love another, you'll regret it all someday."

"Not very happy is it." Neal said after a moment, he was looking at Emma intently and she was having trouble holding the intensity of his gaze.

"Not really. But that's life...isn't it?" She looked down and then back up, she clasped her hands to her chest. "You know that...someone can be the only light in your life. They drive away the darkness and make you feel better, but at the same time...they're you're only weakness. They can't be there for you forever...and you still love them."

"Yeah, it sounds a lot like life. People are flawed and they make mistakes, but even the worst people need someone who can help them see the light." Neal grabbed Emma's hand and kissed it. "That's what you are to me."

Emma shook her head and laughed, "Don't go all sappy on me okay?" Neal chuckled and kissed her hand again.

"Alright, I won't! I promise. But. You are my sunshine, my only-" Emma cut the singing Neal off with a pillow in his face, she hit him again with it and smiled.

"No sappiness! Now let's go eat!" She jumped out of the bed and pulled him up with her. She looked completely ridiculous in an tank top and a pair of old boxers but she didn't care, Neal didn't look to much better...yet they went to the hotels little kitchen and found some food. Neal watched Emma get her food and just how happy she was...she was his sunshine; even if she found it sappy.

* * *

Emma sat there staring at nothing, absolutely frozen. He wasn't dead! He couldn't be dead! She looked down at his face, his eyes were closed; she knew in her heart that he was gone. Tears were streaming from her eyes and falling on his cold skin; Gold stood a few yards away grieving his son. Emma leaned down and kissed Neal's forehead and that's when the memory came flooding back to her; she took a deep breath and started singing.

"You...are my sunshine-" Her voice broke, "m-my only sunshine...you make me...make me happy, when skies are grey." The tears were coming so fast now that she almost couldn't keep singing, but she still tried. "You'll never know, dear...how-how much I love you." She broke down in tears, she kissed his head again and held him tighter. Willing him back to her, ordering him back to her. But she knew it was in vain, sobs shook her; she couldn't bring him back. She took one last wavering breath and almost whispered the last stanza of the song. "So...please don't take...my sun..shine...a-away."

She kissed him on the head and held him close. The sun had gone behind the clouds and they were shrouded in darkness, Emma didn't want the sunshine...she almost wanted it to rain. Neal was gone, HER sunshine was gone. She didn't know how long she sat like that, holding him close to her and crying into his hair. Longing to see his quick smile and hear his laugh. When Gold put a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him.

"Ms. Swan...I think we should take Bae back into town. You need to tell Henry." She could see the tears in his eyes as he looked at his little boy in her arms, then she looked back down at Neal. She took a deep breath and nodded, Mr. Gold gave a nod as well. Then together they began the long heartbreaking journey of bringing Neal's body back to Storybrooke.

The sun didn't shine and she wouldn't have wanted it to. Emma clutched the necklace that Neal had placed in her hand, her last bit of sunshine; her last bit of him.

* * *

***Authors Note***

I am so sorry if I killed your emotions! I promise this is not the end of this collection there are more much happier Swanfire/Swanthief stories on the way.


	8. It's Positive

"It's positive." Emma whispered under her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to explode within her. "It's positive." She held the little pregnancy test in her shaky hands and tried to breathe normally. "It's positive." She was horrified yet at the same time she was almost happy. There was a life growing inside her, made with love, a piece of her and Neal. Neal. She'd have to tell him, tell him that there was a reason she'd been tired and feeling ill for the past month. She was pregnant.

She pushed long tangled hair out of her eyes and tried to take a deep breath, it felt like her lungs were migrating up into her throat while simultaneously being pressed on by a giant weight. What were they going to do? They lived their lives on the run, flitting from one place to another, practically living out of their little stolen bug. They couldn't bring a person into that. Hell, they could barely take care of themselves, how were they supposed to take care of a baby? Emma curled up in the corner of the hotel bathroom, her head against the wall. What were they going to do?

"Emma?" She heard Neal's voice in the small adjoining room of the hotel suite that they were currently hijacking, she didn't respond. There was a knock on the bathroom door, still she didn't move. She just sat there staring straight ahead, her eyes fixed on a water spot on the ceiling above the sink. "Emma, are you in here?" The door made a hair raising squeak as Neal slowly pushed it open. He saw her, "Emma why didn't you-," He stopped, looking at her intently now, "Emma? Emma what's wrong?"

He crossed over to her and knelt in front of her, his concern was plastered on his face. He grabbed her hands and that's when he saw it. He looked at her with confusion in his eyes, clearly asking questions that he wanted her to answer. She shifted her eyes away, she didn't want to look at him. She'd been thinking about all the negatives and any joy she'd felt had been sucked out of her. She couldn't look at him, she held the test tighter in her hands and tried to swivel her body away from him. But he put his hands on her knees and held her in place.

"Emma. What the hell is going on?" Still not looking at him she handed him that little piece of plastic. He looked at her in confusion, "Emma...I don't...I don't understand, is this what I think it is?" Emma nodded, she still couldn't look at him. But he didn't sound angry or frustrated. In fact, his voice kind of sounded happy...she cast him a glance and found him staring intently at her face. When her eyes met his he lifted his hand to her face, his thumb rubbed gentle circles on her cheek and he was smiling.

"You...you're not upset?" Emma had been silent for such a long time that her voice sounded strange to her and the fear in it was glaringly obvious. She pushed her hair from her eyes with a wavering hand and awaited his answer.

"Why would I be upset?" His eyes clouded in confusion, why would he be upset about this. But he could see Emma's eyes, still full of fear and sadness; he could not bear it. He put the little test that was still in his hand down on the ground and reached for Emma. She tensed but he didn't stop, he gathered her in his arms and placed gentle kisses on her forehead. "I'm not upset, I'm not angry, Emma. This is a wonderful thing, and I'm happy. Really."

Emma burst into tears, she'd been sick and tired, they'd been stressed trying to make ends meet. And she didn't know why she felt the way she did, then she took that test. She had felt everything disintegrate into acid in the pit of her stomach. She was exhausted and fearful, but he wasn't mad. And just that little thought caused the tears to flow freely and she couldn't stem the flow. Neal just held her tenderly in his arms, pushing her hair back from her face and whispering little nothings to her.

Soon the sobs ebbed into little hiccuping gasps and even though the act of crying had further exhausted her, she felt lighter. Neal still held her but she shifted in his arms and looked up at him, her tears still damp on her face.

"Feel better?" He asked, smiling down at her.

"Emotionally? Yes. Physically? No." She went to move from his arms and stand and nearly fell over. She'd been sitting crouched for so long and then Neal had been holding her and now her legs felt like Jell-O. Neal caught her before she fell and swept her up into his arms. He carried her into the other room and set her gently on the bed, the pillows felt unnaturally soft and she let herself slip into them. She was aware of very little, nothing in fact...except her overwhelming fatigue. Her eyes were heavy and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, but she didn't want to sleep. She was afraid of nightmares that often found her when she was in that realm of quiet, strangeness. She tried to rouse herself, mumbling things like; "Can't sleep." "Night-nightmares."

Then she felt strong tender arms going about her and soothing whispers against her temple. "It's okay, Emma. Just go to sleep...I'll keep the nightmares away." She nodded mutely and before she squeeze his hand in thanks she drifted off. Neal stayed beside her, looking at her pale skin and the dark circles that jumped out from under her eyes. It all made sense now, her irritability, fatigue, sickness. It all made sense; and while he had tried to allay her fears because he saw how upset she was he couldn't help but feel the slight inklings of unease. But as he looked at her while she lay sleeping, saw how the air gently raised her chest up and down, heard the quiet breaths. His fear melted away, feelings climbed in his throat; he loved her. It didn't matter that he had no idea how they would take care of a child.

Just that they would, because they were together and they were both strong. They had survived despite all the set backs, rebukes and screw-ups. They were going to make it, because -and it was as simple as this- they were crazy enough to believe they could. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently before he himself found sleep claiming him. He cast one last glance at the dream-catcher on the headboard; and in the silence next to Emma, he fell asleep.


End file.
